I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of electrical cable coupling and shielding, and in particular to a continuous uninterrupted cable shield for a data bus loom.
II. Description of Related Art
Data bus couplers are known which permit coupling of high frequency data buses via a transformer and impedance matching resistors. In order to protect the integrity of the data transmitted along the cables, it is essential that the individual conductors of each cable be shielded from high frequency electromagnetic interference.
Conventionally, data bus cables are shielded by a metallic outer braid. This braid provides excellent protection from interference. However, at the point where the individual conductors are attached to the coupler, shielding discontinuities may be present.
In order to overcome the problem of shielding discontinuities at data bus conductor terminations and also at cable joints in general, rigid metallic casings for the couplings have been provided. The casings are soldered or otherwise electrically connected to the cable braids and provide a measure of shielding continuity. However, such casings suffer the disadvantages of relatively high cost and large size. In addition, they are relatively difficult to assemble.
Therefore, a need exists for a continuous cable shield for cable couplers and joints which solves the problem of leakage due to shield discontinuity, and yet is compact and simple to assemble.